Page 2 – Honorable E. Mitchell Roob

March 5, 2009

Honorable E. Mitchell Roob Jr.

Secretary

Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

402 W. Washington Street

Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-7083

Dear SecretaryRoob:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the results of the Part C verification visit by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) during the week of October 27, 2008.[1] As indicated in my letter to you datedAugust 7, 2008, OSEP is conducting verification visitsto a number of States as part of our Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System (CIFMS). CIFMS is designed to ensure compliance and improve performance with Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Sections 616 and 642 of the IDEA require the Department to monitor States with a focus on: (1) improving early intervention and educational results and functional outcomes for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities; and (2) ensuring that States meet the program requirements, particularly those most closely related to improvingresults for infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities.

The purpose of OSEP’s verification visit is to review the State’s systems for general supervision, collection of State-reported data, fiscal management, as well as the State’s systems for improving child and family outcomes, and for protecting child and family rights. During the verification visit, OSEP: (1) analyzed the components of the State’s general supervision, data and fiscal systems to determine whether they are reasonably designed to ensure compliance and improve performance;and (2) reviewed the data FSSA submitted for selected indicators as part of the Indiana Part C FFY 2006 Annual Performance Report (APR)/State Performance Plan (SPP).

As part of the verification visitto Indiana, OSEP staff met with Dawn Downer, Director of First Steps, the State’s early intervention program, and other State personnel responsible for implementing the general supervision, data or fiscal systems of First Steps. Prior to and during the visit, OSEP staff reviewed a number of documents, including the following: (1) Indiana’s Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2006 APR submitted to OSEP in February 2008; (2) Indiana’s SPP submitted to OSEP in December 2005; (3) Indiana’s eligibility document submissions under Part C of the IDEA for FFY 2008; (4) OSEP’s Verification Visit letter toIndianadated August 7, 2008; (5) First Steps’website; and (6) other pertinent information.[2]

OSEP applied the Part C critical elements to evaluate FSSA’s general supervision, data, and fiscal systems. OSEP’s analysis of each critical element is in the enclosure to this letter. If OSEP identified noncompliance during the verification visit, the enclosure identifies the applicable Part C requirements and the actions the State must take to address the noncompliance.

As further detailed in the Enclosure to this letter, OSEP has required the State to take action to ensure that its complaint content requirements are consistent with 34 CFR §303.511;to inform the State’s audit office of the need to review its procedures for complying with maintenance of effort requirements under 34 CFR §303.124(b); and to provide a copy of its procedures for monitoring compliance with those same Part C nonsupplanting/MOE requirements.

We appreciate the cooperation and assistance provided by FSSA personnel during our visit. We look forward to collaborating with the State as you continue to work to improve resultsfor infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. If you have any questions or wish to request technical assistance, please do not hesitate to call your OSEP State Contact, Jennifer Simpson, at 202-245-6042.

Sincerely,

/s/Patricia J. Guard

Patricia J. Guard

Acting Director

Office of Special Education Programs

Enclosure

cc: Lora Miller

Chief, Bureau of Child Development Services

[1] OSEP also conducted its Part B verification visit to the Indiana Department of Education during the week of October 27, 2008, and has issued a letter describing the results of that visit under separate cover.

[2]Documents reviewed as part of the verification process were not reviewed for legal sufficiency, but rather to inform OSEP's understanding of your State's systems.